BEN's Training and Consultancy
Information Pack

Black Environment Network (BEN) is the
leader in the field of Ethnic
Environmental Participation which it has
created. Environmental agencies pledge to
be open to everyone, but until BEN
highlighted the issue, ethnic community
environmental participation has not been
on the agenda of the environmental
sector.

Many ethnic communities live in some
of the worst environments. Environmental
participation can enable them to access
the vast resources available in the
environmental movement. In the process
they may be empowered through gaining
essential skills in self-help,
self-representation and self-improvement
- the effects of which spread into areas
of life far beyond environmental
involvement. Involving ethnic communities
in environmental participation also means
bringing forward a vast missing
contribution from a significant section
of the community to engage in the
preservation, protection, and development
of the environment.

BEN works to stimulate ethnic groups
to participate in sustainable
development. Parallel to this we support
mainstream environmental organisations to
enable them to work effectively with
ethnic groups. Our training programme is
part of this strategy. There is still a
significant gap of awareness and skills
within the board, senior management and
project personnel to shape appropriate
policy and strategy necessary to
successfully involve ethnic communities
in programmes of activities and other
relevant aspects of the organisation.